Dusk to Dawn
by WitandAmbition
Summary: The Potter children are about to learn what it means to really be a family. Maybe getting stuck in an alternate universe can actually be beneficial. (CC-compliant). ABANDONED.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

Notes: Swearing. OOC-ness because it's hard to portray CC-Albus without wanting to bash my head against the wall.

Canon world is CC, unfortunately, but the AU world has all of the same pairings. There's certainly no Panju Weasley.

* * *

Harry scanned each of the children in front of him. They were completely different from his own children. James was tall and lanky like Ron, and with his red hair and brown eyes, looked hardly anything like Harry. In comparison, Harry pitied Albus for looking like his own clone. Lily seemed to be a clone of Ginny, too. All three of them must suffer quite a bit for their appearances, which made him think that fate was an even bigger bitch in their universe.

"Let me get this straight," he said, only briefly wondering why that made Albus wince, "you decided that you'd steal your aunt's… universe-jumping device… which was for some reason easily accessible to a teenager. And when James and Lily tried to stop you, it somehow activated and brought you here."

"There's no stopping Al's hubris," James sneered.

"It's _Albus,_ " his brother snarled.

Harry's brows rose. His own son often grew sulky if someone called him Albus, and insisted that he be referred to as Al.

"Well," Harry said, rubbing the area between his eyebrows, "I suppose there's nothing else for it. You'll have to stay with us until we can get things figured out."

"James and Albus can't share a room," Lily said immediately.

For the first time, Harry felt a touch of amusement. "Al's a pyromaniac too, eh?"

"No, he's a mopey little git and I can't stand being in the same room as him."

Harry's mouth opened and closed. He knew that he should be reprimanding James, but technically this wasn't his son. He was saved from having to answer, though, by the door to his office slamming open and two men striding into the room. Behind them, Harry could see his secretary doodling at her desk, completely ignoring their forced entrance. Sometimes Harry thought the security system was very lacking at the Ministry, although he knew that wasn't actually true. After having the same group of teenagers break in on two separate occasions, the security had been very much improved. The real problem was that no one cared if Draco Malfoy and Aries Black kidnapped Harry Potter on a regular basis.

"Not today, guys," he sighed. "It's a bad time."

Aries raised one eyebrow, looking at the three strangers who had turned in their seats to stare at the men. "Yeah, I can see that."

Draco's head tilted to the side. "Do we need to reschedule?"

"There's a schedule to this?" Harry asked, genuinely curious.

"Not really," Aries answered with a shrug, his attention shifting away from the children in a casual dismissal. Harry frowned at that and extended his senses. His eyes widened when he realized that James, Albus, and Lily had very weak magic in comparison to their counterparts here. "Mostly it happens when we're bored."

Harry shook his head. "I know Aries doesn't have an actual job, but Draco, this is shameful for you."

Draco gave the same shrug as Aries. "I'm semi-retired now." He grabbed onto Aries' sleeve. "Come on, Black, I have a craving for ice cream."

"You're paying," Aries said as he let himself be pulled from the room.

"Don't forget Scorpius' birthday, Potter," Draco called.

When the door closed again, all three of the children swiveled around to look at Harry with matching expressions of shock.

"Did he say Black?" said James incredulously.

Harry frowned. "You mean you don't know Aries?" They shook their heads. "Odd. Must be another difference."

While interrogating them, he hadn't thought of mentioning Aries' family. The Potter and Black families had met shortly after James was born. After the Healer commented on seeing James' unusual middle name only a few days prior, for Sirius was three days older than James, Harry searched out Aries Black. It turned out that Aries was the son of Alphard Black, whose wife had decided to run away when she discovered she was pregnant. Alphard and Claire's marriage had been arranged, and she didn't want the Black family to have any influence on her children. In order to hide Claire's location, Alphard then committed suicide.

Puzzled, Harry flipped through the quick notes he had jotted down.

"You said your father never returned to school?" he asked.

"No, he became an Auror," Albus said proudly.

"And never received therapy," Harry muttered, staring at Albus' middle name.

He was surprised that the other Ginny even allowed their son to be named after Snape, but then, from the information he had received, she was much more passive than his own wife. That extra year in school together seemed to have changed quite a bit. When Harry went back for his seventh year, along with Ron and Hermione, he had been in the same class as Ginny, and it brought them closer together.

Hermione also had the idea of introducing psychological therapy to the wizarding world and forced Harry to attend a few sessions, which he would readily admit helped him quite a bit. Dumbledore had made mistakes, but at least he had apologized to Harry, so Harry could forgive him. Snape, however, didn't regret any of his actions except for his treatment of Harry's mother. When Harry reviewed Snape's memories again, it was quite clear that Snape was a horrible person. Harry thought that his father might have bullied Snape because Snape bullied other people – after all, Snape bullied his own students as an adult, so he was probably worse as a child – but James, despite being chivalrous, was a show-off, and took it too far. Snape's actions couldn't be condoned, though. He was certainly a sociopath, at least, having attempted to kill both Petunia and James.

The other Harry clearly had accepted Snape's biased view at face value, though, and the other Albus had suffered the consequences for it from what Harry understood. Names could have profound and lasting implications on a person's life. Being named after Severus Snape had led to Albus becoming a sociopath himself.

Harry let out another sigh. This day was shaping up to be much more exhausting than he thought it would this morning.

 **DtD**

After arriving at the house, Harry directed Albus and his siblings to the living room while he went to inform his own family of the news. Left alone to examine his surroundings, Albus joined his sister in gaping at the painting hanging above the mantel. The three people depicted were obviously Harry's children, but they were completely different from Albus and his siblings. The boy in the middle had his arms slung over the other boy and girl's shoulders. He was grinning and wore Slytherin Quidditch robes. The other boy wore robes for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and seemed to be pretending to mope, but he kept biting his lip to keep from smiling. The girl, who wore red in support of Gryffindor, seemed to be laughing at them.

"Look," Lily said, pointing to the corner of the painting where her own name lay in bold curves that was unrecognizable as her own handwriting.

Harry's voice drifted into the room from the open doorway.

"Are Rose and Scorpius not here anymore?"

Albus perked up at the mention of his boyfriend. He crept slowly toward the doorway but remained out of sight of the people in the hallway.

"No," a boy replied irritably. "They were making out on my bed. _My bed_ , Dad!"

The hair lifted on the back of Albus' neck. Instead of his counterpart dating Scorpius, it was Rose. That was one of Albus' greatest fears. He knew that Scorpius still had feelings for Rose.

"Obviously the solution is to invite Violet over to Malfoy Manor and make out with her on Scorpius' bed," said Harry.

" _Dad_! I told you, I'm not dating Violet."

"But he wants to," another boy sang. "Al is officially over Scorpius, methinks. The amazing thing is that Violet did it completely unintentionally."

The first boy let out a huff. "Firstly, that was a crush that lasted less than a year. Secondly, we're not talking about this. Thirdly, you and Ivy need to get a move-on."

"Ivy?" the other boy said, sounding surprised. "We're just friends."

Albus recognized Ginny's tinkling laughter, and his stomach fluttered. He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard his own mother laugh.

"Typical Potter obliviousness," she said fondly. "Al's right, though. You need to ask Ivy out before she gets over you, James."

"But she doesn't…"

"Mum, something's burning!" a girl called.

"Let's move this into the kitchen," Harry suggested, "before Ginny manages to ruin our lunch again."

As footsteps hurried down the hall toward the kitchen, Albus let out a quiet exhale. At least that was one thing that didn't change across the universes. It seemed that Ginny would never achieve her mother's skill at cooking.

Quietly Albus sank into the couch and closed his eyes. He was aware of James and Lily moving around the room, examining different affects and murmuring to each other, but he ignored them. He didn't move again until he heard a voice from the doorway.

"Whoa."

Two boys stood there, and a girl was leaning around them to peer at Albus, James, and Lily. The boys were fairly close in height, although the one with untidy black hair was a bit shorter. He had the trademark Weasley smirk and bright blue eyes. The other boy would have been identical to him if it weren't for their different coloring; he had dark auburn hair and brilliant green eyes, along with the long nose that most of the Weasley family possessed. Although the freckled girl didn't look much like her brothers, she also wore spectacles, with hazel eyes shining from behind them, and her deep red hair also looked unmanageable.

Harry and Ginny appeared behind their children. Ginny seemed to be biting her lip in an effort not to gape, but it only made her look comical with her wide eyes.

"This is going to get confusing," said the boy with auburn hair. "They have the same names, right?"

"For the most part," Harry answered. "The other Albus is named after Snape instead of Hagrid, though."

"Really?" The boy looked deeply interested. He stuck his hand out to James. "Al Potter. It's nice to meet you, Other Albus."

James blinked at him. "I'm James."

The boy with black hair snorted. "Someone fucked up on names." Then he brightened. "Hey, that rhymes."

"Great," said the girl. "Now James is a poet and Louis is still making horrible puns."

Ginny interceded before a fight could begin. "We do need to come up with different names, though." She paused and then addressed Albus and his siblings. "If that's alright with you three?"

Albus scowled at the floor, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw his brother and sister shrug carelessly.

"Jase," the other James suggested. "It's 'J' and 'S' combined. And your Lily can be 'Lina.' Your middle name _is_ Luna, right?"

"Yeah," Albus' sister said. "Lina works."

"That still leaves Al, though," said Lily, looking thoughtful. "I can't think of what to do with his name. Maybe Sev?"

"Absolutely not," Harry said with a grimace.

Al's forehead wrinkled. "I guess Albus could work. Everyone knows I prefer Al, so we can't get mixed up."

Albus almost slumped with relief.

Ginny clapped her hands, forcing a stiff smile. "Excellent. Now how about we go enjoy the lunch Harry somehow managed to rescue?"

* * *

 **AN:** To recap: AU James = James, AU Albus = Al, AU Lily = Lily. CC James = Jase, CC Albus = Albus, CC Lily = Lina.

 **AN2:** Updates will be slow on just about everything for the remainder of the...well, probably until summer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

 _TROUBLE IN PARADISE?_

 _Though House Potter may not be ancient, having only recently risen to the Sacred Twenty-Eight after conquering the Most Ancient and Noble House of Gaunt which has no more heirs, it can certainly be said that they hold the most power within our world. Their Head, Harry Potter, needs no introduction. He holds two seats in the Wizengamot, one of which he has assigned to his proxy, Seamus Finnigan, while maintaining the other seat as Head of Department. There was quite a bit of controversy to this when it happened a number of years ago, for Mr. Finnigan is not from any of the Sacred Families. One would have expected Mr. Potter to choose his best friend and wife's brother, Arnold Weasley, instead of a man who admits he initially doubted Mr. Potter during the war._

 _This author wonders if there is discord within the family that is being hidden._ _But for that, there is something more concerning about Mr. Finnigan that we must examine. One will remember that he is married to Lavender Brown, who was attacked by the illustrious Fenrir Greyback during the Final Battle, leaving her severely scarred and an ugly caricature of the once vivacious woman. During their school years, she also dated the formerly mentioned Mr. Weasley. Perhaps this is the source of discord, and Aidan Finnigan is actually the son of Arnold Weasley. Aidan is, after all, very close friends with Louis Weasley…_

"Pure sensationalism," Harry muttered, tossing the newspaper onto the table.

Jase craned his neck, trying to get a glance at the newspaper. Albus didn't even look up; he'd been mostly non-responsive, so that Harry wondered if Albus was depressed or just self-absorbed. Either one of them made Harry worried. Lina was another source of concern as she picked all of the vegetables out of her soup, and Harry saw Ginny frown, though like him, she was uncertain of her role in disciplining the children.

"Well, what else would you expect from Skeeter?" Ginny said logically. "Remember what she wrote for James' sorting? _'James S. Potter has been sorted (to nobody's surprise) into Gryffindor.'_ She even misquoted Teddy."

Al snorted and poked his brother. "Anyone who knows James knows he's the perfect fit for Slytherin." His voice rose into a mocking tone as James started poking him in retaliation. " _'Confident, strategic, and loyal only to his friends and family, James Potter is often compared to his godfather and uncle, Rupert Weasley.'_ Remember that one?"

"Wasn't that also the one that called him the Prince of Slytherin and said he'd be the next Dark Lord?" Lily wondered aloud.

"Yep," said James with a playful grin, "and _'Albus Potter, the Hero of Gryffindor like his own godfather, Neville Longbottom, will defend us.'_ "

"It's _Al_ ," stressed Al, scowling and giving James a particularly vicious poke that made James wince.

Jase and Lina were looking at Harry's three children with wide eyes, and even Albus furrowed his eyebrows.

"That's enough, boys," said Ginny, who had a much easier time being the stern parent than Harry; according to her, and him when he felt like admitting it, he was too forgiving. "Al, I think you should change before we head over to Malfoy Manor."

He looked down at himself. "Mum, I'm sixteen. I think I can dress myself by this point."

"It's your best friend's party, so you should look presentable, and unfortunately you have my horrible taste in fashion."

"Was that an insult to herself or Al?" Lily whispered loudly to James.

"I think both," James murmured back to her.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at them, but the effect was ruined as her lips twitched.

As Al let out a gusty sigh and stood from the table, James called after him, "Just borrow something of mine, little Hero!"

Albus now wore a pensive expression, and he looked downward, his brows pulling in.

"He's sixteen?" Jase asked, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"Yes, he's a year older than Albus," Harry said, and then, reminded of an old memory, added, "and you don't have to act like my father, you know."

Jase jerked back in his seat, looking surprised at the comment. "Er, thanks. It's nice to finally have someone say that."

Then his lips pursed, his gaze ping-ponging between Albus and Harry's own family. After a moment, he closed his eyes and gave a hard shake of his head, and his red hair became the color of deepest brunette, perhaps a bit softer than the color of Harry's own jet black hair.

Albus let out an exclamation of shock. "What the hell? Since when have you been a Metamorphmagus?"

"Really, Albus," said Lina patronizingly, "you don't know anything about Jamie."

He flinched.

"Makes sense," mused Harry. "I can grow my hair at will."

"Yeah, it's sort of like that for me, too," Jase said with a wavering smile. "I can only change the color, though." He tugged on a strand. "It's gotten darker as I got older, but when I was little, Dad said I was starting to look like Tom Riddle, and so I slowly made my hair redder."

Albus still looked dumbstruck. Harry and Ginny exchanged a glance, and she knew he was thinking the same thing as him: what sort of man the other Harry had become that Jase felt the need to do such a thing.

Jase cleared his throat. "Ah, and I should probably fix this now. It was my first piece of magic."

He took out his wand, and with a flick, Albus' hair became a chocolate brown, while Lina's became a light auburn. Both of them still looked a great deal like clones of Harry and Ginny, but the slight difference made it not quite so startling.

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better," said James, and beside him, Lily nodded fervently. Privately, Harry had to agree with them.

At James' words, Albus looked at his own hair, and his mouth fell open. "Do Mum and Dad know?" he demanded.

"Of course not," scoffed Jase.

Albus turned to Lina, a visible flush in his cheeks. "Did _you_ know?"

"Of course," she answered simply. "It made Dad happy though, so I never told him."

The intuitive feeling that something was very wrong with their world increased inside Harry. Having learned to trust his gut instinct, he was about to question the other Potter children about it, but he was forced to shelve it for later examination when Al walked back into the kitchen wearing some of James' clothes.

"I'm ready," Al announced, unaware of the tension in the room.

"Lily, what do you think?" asked Ginny.

Looking critical, Lily scanned Al's outfit. She had learned a lot about fashion from Victoire, who had been around the Potter house quite a bit back when Teddy lived with them on the weekends.

"He's good," Lily decided.

Harry glanced at his battered watch. He'd decided to keep Fabian Prewett's old one, while giving one he had found in Sirius' room to James. Teddy had received Remus' old watch, and treasured it despite the fact that it had been taken off of Remus' dead body. Harry was planning to ask Hagrid to choose one for Al, though.

"Teddy's late," Harry remarked.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Victoire's probably made him change, too."

Harry smiled fondly. Since Teddy looked more like his mother with a heart-shaped face and natural mousy-brown hair, he often tried to dress like Remus by wearing things like cardigans. Slowly, though, Victoire was teaching him that his clothes could be similar to Remus' own style without looking so shabby.

At that moment, the Floo flared, and a voice called out, "Wotcher, Potters!"

"In the kitchen, Ted," Harry called.

Teddy bounded into the room with all of the energy of an excitable puppy, Victoire following behind him.

"Show them, Vic," he urged.

Beaming, she extended her left hand, where a glittering ring could be seen on her hand.

Ginny gasped. "You proposed!" she squealed, and tackled them into a hug, pulling them toward her so abruptly that Teddy and Victoire's heads knocked together.

"Ouch – Mum, leggo –"

Drawing back, Ginny swiped tears from her cheeks, her smile wide. After several years of calling Harry his father and Ginny his aunt, generating quite a bit of confusion for other people, Teddy had adjusted to calling Ginny his mother as well. Harry had been wary his own title as Teddy's dad at first, but he finally realized that Remus would likely appreciate it. Teddy differentiated them by referring to his real parents as 'Mama' and 'Papa'.

"YES!" Lily cheered. "I CALLED IT! PAY UP, SUCKERS!"

Grumbling, James and Al fished coins from their pockets.

"Wait," said Victoire suddenly, spotting the other three Potter children for the first time. "Why are there more of you?"

"Ah," said Harry uncomfortably, "that's a long story."

* * *

 **AN:** As someone who has been depressed, I want to note that I am not mocking it at all. It is horrible, debilitating and misunderstood, and, unfortunately, extremely common in today's society. Albus, however, only further misconstrues of it. I promise that we are not all like Albus Potter or Severus Snape, and don't have sociopathic tendencies.

 **AN2:** THIS IS A PLACE OF NO CLICHES! MWAHAHA (Okay so a few…)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

Albus had been wanting to stay at the house while the Potter family attended the party, but Ginny refused to allow it. As a result, he found himself holding a Portkey along with the others before being whisked away to Malfoy Manor. He blinked as they landed not outside the gates, as he expected, but inside the foyer. Even after dating Scorpius for the past month, Albus still had to come in through the gates. He wasn't even allowed to use the Floo.

"Alright?" Al asked him, holding out a hand.

"Yeah," Albus grunted, letting himself be pulled to his feet. Only he and Lina had fallen over; Jase had rocked back on his heels but otherwise maintained his balance.

"Uncle Harry!"

A girl came hurtling out of the kitchen, golden hair streaming behind her as she launched herself into Harry's arms. He clasped her tight and swung her around before he set her back on her feet.

"What, no hug for me?" said Ginny, pushing her lip out into an exaggerated pout.

Grinning, the girl turned, her arms spread wide. Instead of hugging her, however, Ginny bent down and began tickling her until she roared with laughter.

"A-aunt Ginny, s-stop!"

"Never," Ginny swore, though she did stop wiggling her fingers. "James kicks me when I do it to him."

"Not on purpose," James protested. "It's a knee-jerk reaction. Literally."

"I think we learned our lesson after you kicked Lily out of your mother," said Harry.

James glared at his father, who only smiled in return.

"Lia?" a voice called.

"Out here, Daddy!" the girl responded.

Albus stared incredulously as Draco Malfoy entered the room. Looking back at the girl, Albus noticed her sharp gray eyes for the first time.

Draco stopped mid-stride, his eyebrows rising. "Huh. I wasn't imagining it. Did you kidnap three children and give them blood-adoption potions?" He paused, tilting his head as he narrowed his eyes. "And what happened to the clones?"

"This one is obviously a Slytherin," said James, nudging Jase. "Fine bit of magic, he did. Just to help disguise himself."

Jase's mouth drew into a straight line. "I'm a Gryffindor, actually."

James narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything as Harry began explaining the circumstances of Albus and his siblings arriving in the Minister's office.

"I bet Weasley enjoyed that," Draco snickered.

"Percy wasn't too pleased," agreed Harry.

"Al?"

Looking to the source of the voice, Albus' eyes widened as he saw the boy racing down the stairs. A sudden coldness hit him at the core. This Scorpius was very much different from Albus' boyfriend. He still had sharp features and pale blond hair, but from there the similarities diverged, so that Albus felt disoriented when he looked at him. It wasn't just because Scorpius' eyes were blue. There was a gleam in them, an inner light that Albus had never seen before.

Al crossed his arms. "I still haven't forgiven you."

"But I apologized!"

"And I have to burn my bed now!"

Scorpius waved a hand in dismissal. "You're just looking for an excuse to set things on fire."

"Why don't you take this upstairs?" Draco suggested as he exchanged a look of amusement with Harry and Ginny.

Nodding, Scorpius began to lead the way to the staircase, but stopped when he spotted Lia following. "No little kids," he said, grabbing her by the shoulders, turning her around, and giving her a push that made her stumble toward Draco.

"Scorpius, be nice," said Draco sternly. "Your sister is Hogwarts age now. She's old enough to hang out with the rest of you."

"Lina is the same age as her," Ginny added.

Scorpius scowled, but made no other move to stop Lia as she joined the others in following him. Albus kept his head down, his eyes on the gleaming marble stairs until they reached the landing and Scorpius turned down the hallway. There was a fluttery, empty feeling in Albus' stomach as they drew closer to the door through which he could hear voices. His muscles tightened as Scorpius pushed the door open.

"Al!" a red-haired girl called immediately, waving to him, and with a jolt of shock, Albus realized that this must be Rose.

"He's still mad at us," Scorpius told her, sitting beside her in the circle of people.

"Eh, he'll get over it," Rose replied with a shrug. "The cake has chocolate in it."

Al lit up. "It does?" Then, as the group of people began to laugh, "Wait, no. You can't buy my forgiveness like that."

While James gave the necessary explanation of why there seemed to be more Potters, Albus observed the other people in the group. He was pleased to see that there was a gay couple; a bespectacled boy lay in the lap of another boy, whose head was tilted as he surveyed Albus and his siblings.

Then came the introductions.

"That's my best friend, Sirius, and his brother, Regulus," said James, pointing at the boys. "And that's Sirius' girlfriend, Amelia, and our friends, Ivy and Phoenix. Chris has decided to abandon us, apparently."

"He's on holiday with his family," said Phoenix.

"As I said, he is a terrible person who abandons his friends."

"I'm Violet," a girl told Albus and his siblings, ignoring James.

"She's a Ravenclaw who somehow puts up with us Gryffindorks," Scorpius added helpfully.

"You're in Gryffindor?" Albus blurted out, and then immediately blushed as everyone's eyes were drawn to him. "I – I just mean… You're a Malfoy. I thought you'd be in Slytherin."

Scorpius snorted loudly. "Just because my dad's family was full of Death Eaters?" He ploughed on before Albus could form a response. "No, I wanted to rewrite my family's image, and the only way I could really do that was to be in Gryffindor. I'd always be judged by my name if I were in Slytherin."

"Besides, family history doesn't really matter," said Regulus, lifting his head slightly from Sirius' lap. "I'm in Gryffindor, my sister was a Ravenclaw, and James is in Slytherin."

"Not to mention all of our cousins scattered throughout the other Houses," Lily added. "Sure, we're still mostly Gryffindors, but Victoire, Louis and Hugo are Ravenclaws, and Fred and Dominique were in Hufflepuff."

Albus looked down, his stomach tightening and hardening. Except for him, all of his family was in Gryffindor.

"So what game are we playing?" asked James to defuse the situation.

"Truth or Truth," Amelia replied. "It was Truth or Dare, but no one wanted to do the dares."

He barked out a laugh. "Fair enough. Give it a go."

The group exchanged glances, thinking, until Sirius spoke. Albus was surprised to note that he had a faint French accent.

"If you had to choose between going naked or having your thoughts appear in thought bubbles above your head for everyone to read, which would you choose?"

"Oh, that's easy," said James. "Nudity, of course."

Rose turned to Al, who sat next to his brother. There was a knowing gleam in her eyes. "If you had to date someone in this room, who would it be?" she asked him.

He flushed and mumbled, "Er, Violet, I suppose. She's not dating anyone."

"Thanks," Violet said wryly. "Ivy isn't either, you know."

Al fiddled with his shirt sleeves, avoiding her gaze. "Yeah, but she's friends with James. That'd be weird."

"My turn," Jase declared with a grin, leaning back on his hands.

The words flowed out of James so quickly that no one even got a chance to think of a question.

"What House did the Sorting Hat offer you?"

Jase's smile slipped as it seemed that everyone stopped breathing. There was absolute stillness. As he watched Jase's jaw clench, Albus' heartbeat grew loud in his ears.

"Slytherin, if you must know," Jase bit out. "But I never got the same talk as Albus. It was always Gryffindor for me – no choice in the matter."

Albus looked down, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe. His mind was numb and he found himself unable to comprehend Jase's words. The Hat hadn't even offered Slytherin to himself; he had to argue for it after Scorpius was sorted there. That was why his own sorting took longer.

Fortunately, Draco called them downstairs before Albus could receive his own question. They trooped to the dining room where the adults, including Victoire and Teddy, were waiting for them. At this point, Albus wasn't shocked that Andromeda stood next to Narcissa. Somehow it seemed only fitting with everything else in this world.

* * *

On entering James' bedroom, Jase was surprised to see that there wasn't many Slytherin decorations in it as he'd been expecting. He sat on the cot that Ginny had situated in one corner, waiting as James scrounged in his drawers for an extra pair of pajamas. His eyes drifted to the bedside table where a shiny badge sat.

"You're Head Boy?"

"Yeah," James replied. "Got the badge a few days ago. What about you?"

Jase forced a smile. "I doubt it. I've pulled too many pranks and gotten too many detentions over the years."

James straightened, his eyebrows drawing together. "Because it was expected of you?" he asked quietly.

Jase swallowed hard, his chest tightening with an old, familiar resentment at the unfairness his own father showed between him and Albus. He was almost gleeful that his father and brother had conducted their own downfall, and that only made Jase hate himself more.

"My name is James Sirius Potter, and with this," Jase indicated his hair, turning it to its former red color again, "I looked like Uncles Fred and George. From the time I was born, all I knew was that I was supposed to be a prankster and a Gryffindor. And I did both of those things, and my dad _still_ loves Albus more than me."

With a heavy sigh, James sat on the bed across from him, but otherwise remained silent.

"I just don't get it," Jase said, his voice strained and louder. "Why is your family so much happier?"

James looked down, unable to meet his eyes. "I don't know. I can't tell you that, other than it seems rooted in your parents. And in that case…" He drew a breath and released it before continuing. "Then fuck what they think. Live your life how _you_ want. If there's one thing to be learned from Dad's godfather – whose name we both share – then it is that our family doesn't have to define us."

Jase ducked his head to hide his expression. After a moment, he darted a glance toward James, who smiled in understanding at the quiet gratitude.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

Stepping out of the fireplace, Harry shook the ash from his hair, glad that no one was in the living room to see him stumble. Forty-one years old, and he still hadn't figured out how to use the Floo system properly. His only consolation was that Al was almost as bad with it, although Al, thankfully, never had any issues like getting lost in the system.

"Anyone home?" he called.

Instead of his family answering, another boy poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Hey, Uncle Harry," said Sirius. "Mrs. Potter took the other Potters to the Burrow. It's just us here."

That was one of the odd characteristics of the three Black children. Though they referred to Harry as an uncle, they didn't provide the same familiarity to Ginny. Harry had never found the reason for it, other than perhaps it was because he was Regulus' godfather.

Harry frowned. "When you say 'us'…"

"Me and Reg." Sirius paused. "And James and Al and Lily, but they're still sleeping."

"Of course they are," Harry sighed, glancing at the clock enviously. He was taking a break for lunch, and his children hadn't even woken up yet.

Entering the kitchen, he found Regulus sat at the table, stealing banana chips from Sirius' plate while his brother wasn't looking. He gave Harry a small wave, and Harry ruffled his godson's hair in response. Sirius and Regulus were at the Potter house almost as often as Rose and Hugo, so Harry wasn't bothered to find them in his kitchen and eating his food.

"Uncle Harry, how do you use this?" Sirius asked, examining the toaster. "And what's it for?"

Harry glanced at Regulus, who was leaning forward in his seat to get a better look at the toaster. It reminded Harry of when he and Ron briefly lived together after graduation; Ron, as a pureblood, had been just as clueless and curious about the Muggle items Harry sometimes used.

"Isn't your aunt a Muggle?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, but Aunt Elara and Aunt Paige always order take-out," Sirius answered.

"Chinese food is the best," Regulus added, completely seriously.

Harry opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by a loud explosion from Al's room upstairs, shortly followed by a bellow from James, " _SOME_ PEOPLE ARE STILL _SLEEPING_!" before he slammed his door closed again.

"Well, two of them are awake," said Sirius cheerfully, his hazel eyes sparkling when Harry threw him a mock glare.

"Lily, hurry up, I need the bathroom!" Al shouted.

"Five more minutes!" she yelled back at him.

"Lily, please, these blankets are on fire!"

"I SAID FIVE MORE MINUTES!"

Regulus and Sirius snickered as Harry looked up at the ceiling with his hands raised in a ' _why me?'_ position.

Minutes later James arrived in the kitchen, his black hair ruffled so it stuck up even more, and he cursed under his breath as he opened the pantry. Harry pretended not to hear anything, although he was somewhat impressed at the creative mixing of English and Parseltongue.

"I _hate_ Mondays," James grouched, slamming the cereal box onto the counter. "And where's the sugary stuff?"

"Your mum is trying to put us on a diet again," Harry said, his lips lifting as James rolled his eyes. "We'll see if she can last more than a week this time."

Every so often, Ginny tried to restrict Al's access to chocolate, since the mixture of Al and chocolate usually led to fiery catastrophes. So he wouldn't feel like he was being singled out, she'd also remove all unhealthy food from the house, but it was a well-known secret that they all just hid their sweets from each other until she caved in to her own craving.

Sirius offered his plate to James. "Banana chip? They're a little sweet."

"Not sweet enough," muttered Al as he entered, his eyebrows singed and an irritated twist to his mouth. "I need chocolate."

"After what just happened, that's the last thing you're getting," said Harry sternly.

Spots of color appeared in Al's cheeks. "But there was a stain, and it looked like blood –"

"I saw it, Al, and it was the exact shade of lipstick I let Rose borrow yesterday," interrupted Lily.

As Al flushed even more, his face turning the standard bright shade of Weasley red, the Floo alert signaled another impending arrival. Harry knew it was Ginny with the other Potter children because even though he heard her voice, Jase, Albus, and Lina were completely silent.

"Boys! Princess! We're back!" Ginny called.

Harry went to greet her, the children following him like little ducklings. It was sort of strange, for even Regulus, who was extremely close to Sirius, tended to be too independent for his own good. Harry supposed it was because they were all so curious about the other Potters.

"You're the princess, Reg," said Sirius.

"Is it because I'm prettier than you?" asked Regulus, just the slightest bit of teasing slipping into his usual monotone.

"If the princess is the prettiest person, then clearly it's Dad," said James, and Harry knew without looking that his son was smirking. "Those gray hairs make the ladies go wild."

"And some of the men, too," Lily added, and from her tone, Harry knew that she was grinning, too.

He paused to look in the hallway mirror, making a show of admiring his own reflection. There wasn't actually that much gray in his hair, and he was proud to say that it was still thick, unlike the receding hairline that Draco possessed.

Harry smelled the familiar scent of flowers before Ginny pressed up against him.

"Do I need to hex some potential admirers, dear?" she said into his ear, which was rather difficult as she had to stand on her toes and Harry had to bend down to her height.

"Just Neville," he replied with a grin, watching in the mirror as the children made faces at each other. "I have a date with him later on tonight."

She pouted. "Without me? Harry, I thought we agreed this would be a threesome. Do I need to seek comfort from Draco?"

James made a gagging sound from behind them.

"Ew," Al whined. "Now I have all of these gross mental images of you and my best friend's father."

"You're welcome, sweetheart," said Ginny, turning to look at him.

"Trust me, there was no gratitude in there," he said snippily.

Harry turned as well to see that Albus, Lina, and Jase had gathered with the other children. He was pleased to note that none of the three looked particularly surprised at Harry and Ginny's small, teasing display of affection. That was good, at least. His experience from growing up with the Dursley family had taught him that never showing affection or love, both to his spouse and his children, could lead to the children having a bad judgemement of what love looked like. Harry still feared how he would have understood Snape's memories if Ginny hadn't been there to teach him about real love.

"Are you staying for lunch?" Ginny asked him. "Apparently it was a bad time for Mum to meet the kids and she shooed us out, so we haven't eaten."

Harry faced her again, his brows rising. "Is that your way of asking me to cook?"

"I can cook instead if you're busy," Lily said before Ginny could answer.

He paused, thinking about it. He really did need to get back to the case and figure out how to get the other Potter children back to their own universe, but just as he opened his mouth to accept Lily's offer, Lina's shoulders dropped. When Jase stepped closer to his sister, she immediately hitched them up again.

"You know what, I think I can make some time," Harry decided aloud.

* * *

To Ginny, there was nothing better than the smell of freshly baked cookies. Her husband often joked that she loved them more than him, and on days he woke her up with his snoring, she would gladly declare it. Having her mother kick them out without getting any snacks first had given her a craving now.

"Mu – Mrs. Potter?"

She glanced over her shoulder. "Ah, Jase, did you need something?"

He shuffled his feet and said hesitantly, "I was just wondering if I could get something more to eat…"

Ginny smiled at him, well aware of the eating habits of teenagers while still in their growing phase. Both James and Al had tremendous appetites, although James' was tapering off to his frustration and Al's delight. Even Lily, who was fourteen, was starting to eat more. It had been an interesting diet change to which Ginny and Harry had to adjust, as they had to buy enough food not only for their own family but also the people who visited so often.

"Well, if you help me with these, I might let you have the first bite," she offered.

"Sure," Jase said. "What do you want me to do?"

She handed him some dough. "Roll this out and then use these cookie cutters. It's best to dip it in flour after each cut. Trick my mum taught me."

"Does it actually work?" he asked curiously.

"No idea, but I do it anyway," Ginny replied with ease.

They worked together in silence, rolling out the dough and cutting shapes out of it. Ginny watched Jase as he made the stars she had chosen for Sirius and Regulus, noting absently that he had Harry's hands. Once the cookies were arranged properly on the sheets, Ginny bent down to place them in the oven.

"I could have done that," said Jase.

Ginny straightened and turned to face him with one finger raised. "Lesson number one: if a woman is already doing something or says she'll do it, let her. If she says nothing about it, then offer to do it for her."

"Noted," he said with a smile, and again, Ginny could see Harry clearly in him.

"Good."

With a flick of her wand, glowing numbers hung in the air to remind her of the time. Then she reached for the small remainder of cookie dough and popped a piece in her mouth. She made sure to chew with her mouth closed and swallowed before speaking again; Andromeda had hammered good manners into the Potter family so, in Andromeda's words, Teddy wouldn't return to her an impolite beast.

"So, tell me," Ginny said mischievously, propping her elbows on the counter between them and leaning forward, "do you have a girlfriend?"

Jase blushed slightly and began fiddling with the cookie cutters. "Er, yeah. We began dating a few months ago." He paused, glancing up at her briefly before looking down again and adding, "It's Ivy Nott."

Ginny's brows rose. "Now _that_ 's interesting. Do I need to give you the Talk?"

"No, Uncle Ron covered it," he said quickly.

She bit the inside of her cheek. It was usually something discussed by the parents, and she wondered why she and Harry's counterparts hadn't done it.

"Ivy's different here," said Jase. "Actually, I didn't know most of the people there yesterday."

Ginny frowned as she tried to remember everyone in attendance. Draco, always eager to make his children happy after Astoria died, had invited everyone who had spoken even a single kind word to Scorpius.

"Well, there was Phoenix. She's in Gryffindor, so you probably know her…" Ginny trailed off as Jase shook his head. "Was Rabastan Lestrange caught after the war in your universe, then?"

Jase shrugged. "No idea. Dad wasn't very good at catching Death Eaters, though. I mean, you'd think they'd have stricter security after Dad's godfather escaped Azkaban, and yet Rodolphus Lestrange somehow managed it. So maybe Rabastan is still free, too."

"Interesting," Ginny repeated in a much different tone. "Well, anyway, Phoenix Strange is his illegitimate daughter. Best not to ask her about it, though."

Jase's eyes widened. "Wait, then did you catch Delphi, too?"

"Delphi?"

"Delphini Riddle. She's the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort," Jase explained.

Surprised, Ginny let out a burst of laughter.

" _Voldemort's_ daughter?" she said incredulously. "From what Harry's told me, Voldemort didn't even have the right, ah, _equipment_ to have children."

Jase shrugged again helplessly. "That's what Albus said. She could speak Parseltongue, too."

"I think your brother is extremely gullible," said Ginny. "Harry used to be guilty of it, too. He'd take almost everything at face value without questioning it." She shook her head. "It's more likely Rodolphus or someone else is this Delphi person's father. Parselmouths pop up sometimes in pureblood families."

The timer went off and Ginny pushed back from the counter to check on the cookies. Finding that the edges were slightly brown, she removed them from the oven and used a charm to cool them. Then she handed one to Jase.

"As promised. Don't worry, it should be good," she added at his look of suspicion. "I might not be able to cook, but I can bake pretty well."

Jase bit into the cookie and she watched as he closed his eyes, savoring the taste.

"Give me that entire plate," he demanded.

Ginny laughed and let him select how many he wanted. Accounting for having six teenage boys in the house along with Lily and Lina, she had made more than enough for them to share, and she sent him upstairs with the rest of the cookies.

It was only once she heard his footsteps on the landing that she spoke her thoughts aloud.

"That is one fucked up world."


	5. Chapter 5

_At this point, I think it's clear I have no intention of completing this story. However, I can give a basic outline of the conclusion. It's a bittersweet one, I'll warn you._

 **Ending Notes**

Jase, Albus, and Lina finally learn how to be siblings with a good, balanced relationship. However, when they return home, the disparagement in their treatment by their parents is clear again. Harry immediately cries, "Albus! Lily!" and pulls them into a hug. Jase finds himself pulled into a hug with his mother, and it's only when she joins the others and pulls him into the family hug that Harry asks if Jase is okay, too. He then accuses Jase of putting his siblings into danger. After a nudge from Lina, Albus admits he's at fault. Harry immediately tells him it's okay and he's just glad Albus is safe. He never apologizes to Jase, though, which Albus notices. He then asks about Albus and Lina's appearances, claiming it doesn't suit them. Jase goes to change their appearances again, but both Albus and Lina refuse, stating, "I want to be myself for once." Harry is shocked but stops questioning it.

The next day Albus catches Jase packing up his things. "You're not running away, are you?" he asks, and Jase says it's fine, he won't be gone long, "I just need a week to clear my head." Ginny catches him walking out of the house and asks if he's going to see Fred. Jase replies, "No, I'm going to see my friend." He doesn't mention the friend's name, and Lina feigns ignorance when she's asked about it, although she does tell Ginny that James and Fred aren't actually that close, it's just a show for their parents.

When Jase returns home, there's been some subtle changes to the family. She insists on going by Lina, and he's switching between Al and Albus, trying to see which one fits him better. Jase reminds him that he can't be Al Potter from the other world, and Al replies, "You're right. Maybe I should pick a new name entirely." Al also broke up with Scorpius, stating that he needs to find himself before he can be a good boyfriend. Scorpius insists they can find him together, but Al is stubborn and sticks to his decision, telling Scorpius that he needs to do this on his own.

While Jase was gone, Ginny sat Harry down and they had a long discussion about their treatment of the children. They resolve to be better parents, and Harry tries to mend his relationship with Jase while Ginny tries to get close to Albus again. It's a little bit too late, but Jase tells his father that he appreciates that he's trying, at least.

Several years into the future, the family is gathered for Harry's birthday. Jase and Ivy have a son, Corban James, and Lina and Scorpius just got married and are expecting their first child. They reveal that the baby's name will be Altair Scorpius. Al is genuinely happy for them and can't wait to meet 'Little Al.' He's changed his own name to Artie Liam but still goes by Al with his family.

In the last scene, it is 2041. The family is gathered again, this time for Christmas. Corban is nine and Altair is eight. Al also has twin daughters, Hallie and Jackie, with his Muggle-born husband. The last line is, "They're far from perfect, but they're a family, and they would love each other until the very end."


End file.
